Month: March 2007

Well I’m here and it is basically as I suspected. Soft spoken people relaxing by the pool after yoga or chores; most of the girls are without tops, and surprisingly beautiful. This is a 20-30 year old group of free age types. A parent from Buckhead might be horrified if their children were here, while those from Midtown Atlanta would probably be proud. I suspect these folks are democrats to the core. Driving thru the town of Pahoa on the way here gives you a clue to the culture of this part of Hawaii. They don’t have any welcome signs, but the street has hand painted signs that say ‘Yoga’, ‘Reikii’, ‘Pilates’, and ‘Spiritual Healer’ to lure you in! By the time I got to the other end of town, I was laughing..not at them, but at how genuine this really is and not a contrived vision of Walt Disney.

This place I’m staying can be viewed online at www.kalani.com. It truly is worthy of serious economic analysis, here’s why. I’m about the only guest that is paying full boat for lodging. Most everyone here is a ‘volunteer’ which means they work some during the week in order to pay much less to stay here. Now isn’t that something..a society where you pay to work and are happily smiling! I highly recommend someone in college/graduate school needing to write a paper on social economics get over here soon. This is a best seller in progress. It certainly is a way for those inheriting small amounts of wealth or have saved a little to stretch their funds into the future while living in paradise. You certainly will not be totally disappointed at the scenery by the pool no matter what you’re looking for if anything.

There is no alcohol here. The reason isn’t that they are trying to be healthy. These people don’t have money for that. They are living on air. One of the employees that works full time brought a bottle of homemade wine and offered me a glass. I was happy to have it and not upset he didn’t bring more. All employees and volunteers eat three meals a day for free..that’s way better than using food stamps and having to cook for yourself. I don’t mean to imply these people are food stampers at all. In fact their system works incredibly well. Again, it needs to be studied!

So I’m off to do some exploring of one of the worlds most active volcano’s, snorkel with the turtles, or view the incredible landscape before my late afternoon massage.

ONE DEAD FISHERMAN IS THE SAD RESULT OF THE COLLISION BETWEEN EARTHRACE AND A SMALL FIBERGLASS FISHING PANGA OFFSHORE OF GUATEMALA. COLLISIONS THERE ARE APPARENTLY A COMMON OCCURANCE AS MOST OF THESE LOCAL LITTLE BOATS DO NOT HAVE THE INTERNATIONALLY REQUIRED LIGHTS FOR BEING OFFSHORE AT NIGHT, AND THEY ARE SO LOW TO THE WATER AND WITHOUT METAL SURFACES THAT RADAR IS NOT LIKELY TO MAKE A ‘BLIP’ SO THEY ARE SEEN WITH THAT TECHNOLOGY. TO GET THE STORY, WWW.EARTHRACE.NET or to go directly to the emotional blog where the Captain met the family of the deceased fisherman.

On a happier note, I’m really enjoying myself in Hawaii. So far, I’ve been to Maui, Oahu, Kauai, and will soon be on the Big Island of Hawaii. I have reservations for a few days at a place that for all intents and purposes appears to be a commune. It is along the coast down near the volcanic lava flow outside of the town of Hilo. I will be there for a few days where they will cook healthy stuff organically grown. When you wake up you do yoga and/or hike and after lunch you do another type of yoga and/or hike somewhere else where they put down mats and do yet another different yoga. I’ve looked all over the website of the place and see no mention of a wine list or anything about a crawfish boil and a beer bust. No blenders can be seen in any pictures; much less is there any event that remotely sounds like ‘happy hour’. I think they play volleyball at what we would consider cocktail hour. Hey, when in Hilo..! I’ve heard of a ‘cleanse’ before, but is that what I’m in for?

Waiting for Earthrace to arrive in Hawaii is exciting even though the endeavor is off to a rocky start. After an emergency propeller change in the Panama Canal, they experienced engine failure while offshore of Guatemala. It appears they made it to port there. I’ve been to Guatemala this time of year. They burn sugar cane fields, which puts a smoky haze over the landscape that probably would be beautiful otherwise.

I am scheduled to ride Earthrace from Hawaii to Majuro in the Marshall Islands, about 2500nm. My friends don’t get it. They keep asking when my cruise starts. What cruise asks you to bring 7 pair of clean underwear and a pillow? My mother gets it, she say’s “I wouldn’t go”!

I’ve been eating some great sushi, first at the Hyatt Regency at Lehaina, Maui, and then at a dive of a place here in Honolulu. I ate the liver of an Abalone Clam. OH MY! It really tasted like they said it would..like foie gras. The chef asked me first if I was allergic to anything and according to my recent one and only allergy test, I’m moderately allergic to everything but I do remember they didn’t specifically test me for reactions to clam liver!

I’m not drinking my usual vat of wine a day in preparation for my ‘cruise’, and hoping to be in the best shape for the ride. There is a 70 something year old California farmer riding here from San Deigo. What a guy! I can’t wait to meet him!

Somewhat out of shape old hippies smoking pot can surf like sonsabitches necked at a nude beach on Maui! There are several awesome radio stations playing oldies for those old hippies, and I’m enjoying reliving the 60’s thru the radio. I play the car radio very loud and no one has cared while stopped at the red lights. No one seems to pay attention to me here either!

Families are having plenty to do here from watching whales offshore and Koi swimming around the ponds at the hotel. I guess swimming in the pool is enough adrenaline flow for most land lubbers but it’s so neat to see the lone surfer. He parks along a vacant stretch of the beach road and paddles himself offshore and waits. I wonder just what all goes through the minds of people all alone eye level with oncoming wave’s hours on end.

Speaking of adrenaline, I heard about a guy I know of that got arrested for indecent exposure in an Atlanta Airport restroom. Seems he found a stall for two. That’s a weird way to get your adrenaline going and a fast way to ruin your day; maybe your life. Time will be the only vaccine for him. I suggest he fess up, separate from the wife, and move out to Hawaii and watch the hippies surf while sipping Perrier. They apparently won’t arrest you here for that and if they do you’d be elevated to high esteem and considered a martyr, not a pervert.